Henry Boot begins Wakefield project
Construction has started on a major new sports facility at Minsthorpe Community College in South Elmsall.
The project is being carried out by Henry Boot Construction and, when finished, it will provide two activity studios, changing rooms, toilets, storage facilities and office space, as well as a 6,400 sq ft main sports hall.
Niemans Architects and Dudleys Consulting Engineers are working with the contractor.
Work started in the summer on the replacement of previous sports facilities and is expected to be completed by spring 2025, alongside refurbishment works to several of the existing blocks.
An EPC A+ rating is being targeted.
Henry Boot has recently completed work on another school in Leeds, Allerton High. The main phase of work on a contemporary two-storey extension was completed in July, increasing the school’s capacity by 300.
At a turf-cutting ceremony at Minsthorpe, Tony Shaw, Henry Boot Construction managing director, said: “It’s great to get started on the construction stages of our work here at Minsthorpe Community College. Since the beginning of the design and planning process, we have had a clear vision of what the final product will look like.
“Projects like this are always incredibly rewarding, providing high-quality facilities to the local community that will greatly benefit them. We are modernising existing spaces so that we can support curriculum activity and greatly enhance the student experience.
“We’re starting to build a strong portfolio in the West Yorkshire area and this project adds to our ever-increasing Department for Education portfolio which began in 2017. We’re proud to be working on this fantastic project.”
As part of its net biodiversity commitment, a pond that under original plans would have been covered over was revitalised, with Henry Boot and Portakabin working together to rework proposals and add scale to other areas to offset the space.
Minsthorpe is one of the first 50 schools to be part of the Department for Education’s newly-minted school rebuilding programme.
A turf-cutting ceremony heralded the official start of works. Credit: via Altitude
